January is Hot Tea Month, but still iced in northern Michigan

Hello TEA Friends,

Although it's the end of January, one still has time to continue celebrating Hot Tea Month. It's a wonderful occasion - no need run to Hallmark, wrap presents or haul out forgotten decorations stored in the basement. It's just one month on the calendar to remind us that hot tea is a special treat and, especially for those of us who reside in the northern climates, it's a welcome relief to some chilly temperatures. It's also a great month to guage the progress of my tea garden.

Last weekend, we were at our up-north cabin, Pemberly, for a marathon cross-country skiing event with the family at Garland Resort. It's officially known as the "Gourmet Glide" and it's a four-mile-plus trek across groomed trails with several fine dining stops in between (all who attended gave it a fleece-lined mittened two thumbs up). My husband and I came up a few days early and practiced skiing on our small compound. We made a routine stop at the tea garden I started last year. As you can see from the picture above, the herbs are literally chilling out.

Inside Pemberly, however, my Camellia sinensis is safe from the unfamiliar seasonal temperatures of its new locale. We keep it in the corner of the kitchen, a cozy spot flanked by a picture window and a glass doorwall. Here, when the sun does come out, it floods light and warmth to such an extent, my tea plant, if it closed its eyes, could easily believe its back in its subtropical home. It seems to be happy, budding on schedule this fall and growing noticeably in length every month.

So, while January is hot tea month, our outdoor herbal tea in northern Michigan gets served with ice. But after the down vests come off and the ski boots are left dripping on the boot rack, the tea kettle goes on, another log gets thrown on the fire and we enjoy hot tea from the inside. We get as toasty as our transplanted Camellia sinensis in the kitchen corner, where it puts its roots down for the winter. It may be the end of Hot Tea Month, but its not the end of hot tea up north, even when when the naturally iced tea is gone from the garden.

Maybe next year, I will send cards for Tea Month.

Happy 2011 to all!

Barb

What's In, What's Out for 2011

Hello TEA Friends!

After all the shopping, decorating, baking, planning, eating and gifting of the holiday season, it's time to ring in the new year and focus on all that's ahead for the next twelve months. This is a great time to start fresh or renew unfinished projects. It's also the time that I look forward to some of the best reading material of the year: the highly anticipated "In/Out" lists of prescribed trends and fashions for the next 365 days. I cull newspapers, magazines and on-line sources to see if my toile pillows are still in style and if clutter remains an "out" (I'm forever optimistic that it will one day be "in").

This year, Barb's TEA Shop, has traveled to Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo, Louisville for the Jane Austen festival, and both upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan to uncover what's fashionable in tea for 2011. Here's our In/Out List for the new year.

Barb's TEA Shop's What's In/What's Out List in the World of Tea for 2011

IN ................................................................ OUT

Specialty loose teas................................................... Generic grocery store tea bags

Tea carts with room for wine.................................... No tea cart at all

Russell Hobbs tea brewing system ............................Tea made from hot tap water

Tea party attire: vintage jewelery, smart casual.........White gloves, mink stoles

Tea Whiskey ............................................................ An Old Fashion (because it's, well, old fashioned)

Pu-erh tea (old, but not old fashioned) .....................Other than Pu-erh, old tea

Honey spoons .......................................................... Three-year old honey in the bottom of the jar

Chamilia/Pandora bracelets with tea charms ............ Robin's-egg-blue-boxed chunky bracelet with heart

Chinese tea ceremony ......................................... Too ritualized tea (we're here to drink tea, after all)

Tea cozies ............................................................ Cold tea

Kim Wilson's Jane Austen's tea/garden books......... Any "Real Housewives of . . ." TV, even if they drink tea or garden

JASNA ................................................................... LOL, ROFL, BRB

Beautiful tea room in upper peninsula .................... Tea party moose hunting in Alaska

Blueberry tea from Blueberry Capital ......................Cherry flavored coffee from Cherry Capital

Tea Forte tea cocktails ............................................An Old Fashion (see above)

In-home tea tastings ..............................................Purse, cooking and Tupperware parties

Talbott Teas Cocoa cardamom seduction ................Drive-through peppermint mocha lattes (seductive, too, but at 400 calories per cup, they're out - at least until next December)

And finally:

Oprah's Favorite Things & Barb's TEA Shop's Wish List

(room for both of us, always "IN" and always IN good taste!)

Whether you're staying in to celebrate or heading out to party, we wish you a safe and happy New Year's Eve and a fantastic 2011!

Barb

Barb's TEA Shop Wish List

Hello TEA Friends,

During the year, I keep notes on things I find in my travels via plane, car or the worldwide internet that I think would make great gifts. And, you know that old adage that people give gifts that they would like to receive themselves? Well, my list is comprised of pretty much that - merchandise and excursions that I would be happy to receive.

So, dear friends, I offer the items on my list as suggestions and inspiration for the tea enthusiast on your list (or, if you are in a quandary as to what to put in Barb's TEA Shop's stocking).

Tea and tea related gifts wish list:

Mrs. Crumpet's tea cart from Victorian Trading company. At $399.95, this is on the high end of the list, but again, it is a wish list. This remarkable cart is elegant yet utilitarian with room for not only your tea service, but for a few bottles of wine as well. A must-have for the ultimate tea party.

Another big ticket item on the list is an overnight stay at Paula Deen's Y'ALL Come Inn on Tybee Island in Georgia. Although not a tea-specific item, ever since I received a Paula Deen tea kettle for Christmas last year I have yearned to head down to Savannah and stay a spell. I would bring my teapot down and use it to fix a delicious pot of tea for my favorite Food Network celebrity - even if it was only with her cardboard cutout clone.

Rates for one night's stay near my birthday (April) approximately $500.

In the more moderate range, but unquestionably luxurious, are Talbott Teas - selected as one of Oprah's Favorite Things of 2010. As some readers may already know, Talbott Teas has offered a limited time 15% discount on their gift sets (just use the promo code "COUTURE"). Tea lovers would love any one of these fine sets, but as long as we're wishing, clearly who could not want the aptly named "Ultimate Collection" for only $150. This gift set (see photo, upper left hand corner) includes a variety of both loose and sachet teas, a teapot, two cups, filters, honey sticks and a tray. (Everything that could fit on your Mrs. Crumpets tea cart.)

Our wish list also includes something for the tea geek in the family. We were introduced to the Zojirushi Water Heater at the World Tea Expo this June. Zojirushi is the "Apple" of the tea world and their water heaters are the IPad equivalent. The 4-litre model, on sale at Elmwood Inn Teas, will heat water to the correct temperature for green, white or black tea and keep it warm for hours. Is this essential? Does one need an IPad? I rest my case.

(Speaking of Elmwood Inn, we sampled their blueberry herbal infusion at the Expo and it was delicious. They have packaged it with their Christmas in a Cup custom tea blend for a Christmas Tea for Two.)

Another World Tea Expo find that's both festive and economical comes from Meville Candy Company. Tea and coffee spoons add a variety of flavors including honey, french vanilla and peppermint to your favorite hot beverage. These make great stocking stuffers or hostess gifts (and won't they look fantastic on your Mrs. Crumpets tea cart?).

While in the party spirit, consider Tea Forte's cocktail infusions. We purchased the Collection this year and enjoyed the teaming of tea and spirits. We are ready for reinforcements. (That tea cart is becoming very well stocked, don't you think?)

Of course, there a number of Michigan items on the wish list too. From local tea rooms, here are some of our favorites:

Chazzano Coffee in Ferndale has a fantastic Puerh tea - my latest indulgence. While there, you may also want to pick up the Ethiopia Harrar for your friends on the Dark Side.

Goldfish Tea Room has an outstanding Keemun black tea. A package of this - or any of their Chinese teas - will satisfy tea fans. Also, check out their pear wood tea boats, they're essential for an intimate tea ceremony with friends.

And, if you want to experience an authentic Chinese tea ceremony by a Chinese tea master, treat yourself and a friend to Master Ma at The Wanderer's Tea House in East Lansing. We went earlier this month and were exposed to an exquisite tea and a wealth of information. For the outrageously low price of $10.00 a person, you will want to make the trip more than once.

Continuing north, Light of Days of Traverse City offers delicious organic, free trade teas. We would be delighted to find Creamy Earl Grey, Coffee Convert or Cacao Mint tea under our tree Christmas morning.

Finally, no list would be complete without a nod to our own hand-crafted tea cozies available on Barb's Tea Shop e-store. There are styles and sizes that will match a wide range of tastes and teapots. (We'll keep adding more great tea related products in 2011, so continue to check back regularly!)

Before we put on our nightcaps and settle in for a long winter nap, with visions of tea carts and hot water ready, but not from the tap - our list would not be complete without wishing you the happiest of holidays.

With all the best the season brings, yours in TEA and friendship,

Barb

Heartwarming Light of Day Tea featured in USA Weekend

BTS is happy to report more good news on tea friends in the news. The latest issue of USA Weekend Magazine featured Light of Day teas in their topical "Season's Eatings" article. The Sunday magazine highlighted the Traverse City tea company's "Heartwarming Cinnamon" tea. A favorite here at BTS, you'll get in the holiday spirit instantly by simply opening the lid of this tea tin's container and taking in its hearty sweet and spicy aroma.

A year ago this month, BTS participated in Light of Day's marathon tea tasting at the Dennos Museum in northern Michigan. Here, owner of LOD teas, Angela Macke, a registered nurse and horticulturist, set a record that day for the number of teas brewed and served to delighted guests. We sampled a variety of LOD's black, green and white tea blends as well as delicious gluten-free chocolate mint cupcakes (made, of course, with Cacao Mint tea). It was this event where Angela displayed her homegrown Camellia sinensis plant which became the inspiration for our own tea garden at Pemberly Pines this past summer.

The last time we met up with Angela this year, she was out riding on the tractor of the working tea farm. We took the opportunity to stock up on our favorite Light of Day teas in the newly constructed tea room on the grounds . We're looking forward to our next visit, but in the meantime, we're excited to start the holidays with family, friends and lots of freshly brewed teas.

Wishing all our Tea Friends a "heartwarming" and happy Thanksgiving Day!

Barb

Tea Friend Elizabeth Knight on CBS News

Hello Tea Friends,

This past weekend, CBS Morning Show, aired a segment on tea, Timeless Traditions of Tea Time, featuring Elizabeth Knight, tea educator, author, and subject of Barb's TEA Shop very first blog story back in 2007. In June of that year, I went to New York City to take a one-on-one tea tour with the former tea sommelier at the St. Regis Hotel.

As I recounted in that very first blog article, "Celebri-Teas Spring 2007", we spent an intense day of shopping, sipping, and tasting throughout Manhattan: from sampling tea-infused chocolates at a Pierre Marcolini (now Borne Confections) to visiting New York's premier sources for antique and museum-quality reproductions of European tableware. Our tea tour culminated in a relaxing and delightful afternoon tea at Cafe Opaline, a wonderful tea room above the Dahesh museum overlooking Madison Avenue. (My review of the experience can still be viewed on Elizabeth Knight's Tea with Friends Tour page.)

With all the tea we sampled and the tea artifacts we examined, the most important lesson I learned from Elizabeth Knight was echoed in her piece on the CBS Morning Show last Sunday: that tea is about taking a "time out". It's an opportunity for us to slow down, take a break and treat ourselves to the comforts of tea with friends.

Third Annual Jane Austen Festival in Louisville was too good

The Third Annual Jane Austen festival in Louisville, Kentucky, was too good, but, to borrow from Jane's own words in Mansfield Park, "nobody minds having what is too good for them" and indeed, my daughter Rachel, and I did not mind at all.

Held July 10th and 11th at the Historic Locust Grove, and sponsored by the Jane Austen Society of North American, Greater Louisville Region, it exceeded all our expectations as attendees of last year's festival.

We took part in many of the activities we enjoyed last year including shopping in Meryton, the Regency fashion show and, of course, Afternoon tea. This year, however, we took in a few new presentations. From the sidelines, we caught Ed Maeder's discussion on period hats. (Maeder is the creator of bonnets for the PBS documentary on Dolly Madison.)

And, if that weren't enough to satisfy all hardcore Janeites, the other presenter, Kim Wilson, author of "Tea with Jane Austen" and "In the Garden with Jane Austen" was, by any standard, much, much too good. As a longtime devotee of "Tea with Jane Austen", it was a real treat to be sitting front row center to hear Kim Wilson discuss the importance of tea in Jane's life and literature. Among her many insightful and amusing observations was Ms. Wilson's commentary on a passage from Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy's preference for coffee over tea had nothing to do with the beverage, but who was serving it. At a large party held at Longbourn, when Darcy returns to the parlor after the requisite separation of the sexes after dinner, he chooses to be served the inferior tasting coffee, instead of a more flavorful cup of tea, because Elizabeth Bennett had been assigned the charge of the less desirable hot drink. This sacrifice only proved how unquestionably fond he had to be of her.

We also met up with the superb hostess and organizer, Bonnie Weiss, and many familiar faces from last year's event. At Afternoon tea, we had a great time with new friends: another mother and daughter team from Mississippi. At the Jane Austen Festival, there are no strangers, just friends yet to be introduced.

The only change Rachel requested for next year's festival is that I do not schedule our Afternoon tea at the same time as the "Dressing Mr. Darcy" event, which I have done for the past two years. Yes, I do agree, next year, we will try to work in every event, including being in the audience for the donning of attire on the most popular of Jane Austen's Prince Charmings. Can it get any better than that? Well, we already know it will be too good, and surely, there's no one who will mind that at all.

Wanderer's Teahouse from Guest Blogger Rachel Gulley

Amid head shops, burritos joints, and chain coffee places, lies the Wanderer's Teahouse in downtown East Lansing. Tucked right in on the edge of America’s eighth largest campus by enrollment, on the prime location of Grand River Ave, literally right across the street from campus, is the new home of an actual Mom and Pop teahouse; one where that Mom and Pop really know their stuff. Michigan State University alumni-run, the husband and wife team of Elizabeth Marazita and Michael Spano have lived in China and both have degrees in Chinese medicine.

All tea served at the Wanderer's is organically grown, and the coffee is all Fair Trade. Spano also mixes his own blends for particular maladies such as allergies or a hangover (perhaps catering to their college-town demographic a bit?). After years of travel, Marazita, a Lansing native, decided along with Spano, to put down roots in a town they knew and where their daughter could have some stability.

The tea house atmosphere is cozy and adventurous. Pictures of famous “wanderers” line the walls, as well as road signs pointing you to different countries with mile calculations, and an international book exchange make one feel as though they could run off to wherever their heart desires… as soon as they finish their tea and sandwich.

Just a couple weeks after opening, the Wanderer's is frequented by studying students and I, myself, have run into MSU professors there. It’s a wonderful place to meet a friend for lunch and catch up over a couple pots of hot tea, or to tune out all distractions and hit the books.

The owners are never too busy to introduce themselves, or help you decide on your tea for the day. (I personally recommend the English breakfast, as it is earthy and not a bit bitter.) Their friendly staff takes care of you and is also knowledgeable on tea, so don’t feel overwhelmed when you see the many, many available choices. You can smell a sample of each and read a description, or just ask away!

So wander into The Wanderer’s today, since as their slogan professes, “...all who wander are not lost.”